In pictures: The art of Catalan protests

Whether or not Catalan nationalists succeed in their push for secession from Spain, they have already accomplished something: being champions of peaceful — and colorful — mobilization.

Celebrations of the Catalan national day, La Diada, on September 11 had been declining in popularity for decades. Things took a turn in 2012, when pro-independence grass-roots organizations Òmnium Cultural and the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) called a march in support of secession. The protest was so successful that the Catalan government abandoned any hope of a negotiation with the government in Madrid and started to push for a referendum on secession, which it now plans to hold on October 1.

La Diada demonstrations have become increasingly complex over the years, with organizers and supporters hoping picture-perfect marches will bring international attention to their cause.

Here are some of the biggest and brightest.

2012: ‘Catalonia, new European state’

Between 600,000 and 1 million citizens took part in the first September 11 demonstration organized by pro-independence organizations. Citizens walked the streets of Barcelona under the slogan “Catalunya, nou estat d’Europa.”

David Ramos/Getty Images

David Ramos/Getty Images

Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images

2013: The Catalan way

Drawing inspiration from the 1989 Baltic Way — in which 2 million people joined hands across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — the Via Catalana was a 400-km human chain that connected the French border with the coastal town of Alcanar. The organization was far more complex than the previous year with protestors outside Barcelona asked to register online and assigned a location to avoid any gaps in the chain. Around 1,500 buses and 30,000 volunteers helped organize the event.

Raymond Roig/AFP via Getty Images

Toni Albir/EPA

Quique Garcia/AFP via Getty Images

2014: Perfecting formation

Independence supporters gathered in Barcelona to create an 11-km-long Catalan flag. Each participant was assigned a location and a T-shirt color to form the nine stripes of the senyera, the Catalan flag. Barcelona police estimated 1.8 million people gathered in the city center, while the central government put it at about half a million.

Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images

David Ramos/Getty Images

Quique Garcia/AFP via Getty Images

2015: The colors of a Catalan republic

In Barcelona, participants were split into 10 different sections, each representing a different theme that would be important to a future Catalan state, such as social justice, innovation and solidarity. Protestors were asked to carry pointed banners, with the color matching the assigned sector.

David Ramos/Getty Images

David Ramos/Getty Images

David Ramos/Getty Images

2016: Is that a fried egg?

Pro-independence organizations called for demonstrations in five Catalan cities: Barcelona, Berga, Lleida, Salt and Tarragona, with protesters carrying banners that resembled fried eggs — and that served to keep out the sun.